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For other persons named Charles Sumner, see Charles Sumner (disambiguation). Charles Sumner is the name of Charles Richard Sumner (1790–1874 English bishop Charles Sumner (1811-1874 American politician and
Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner
In office
April 24, 1851 – March 11, 1874
Preceded by Robert Rantoul, Jr.
Succeeded by William B. Washburn
Born January 6, 1811(1811-01-06)
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died March 11, 1874 (aged 63)
Washington D.C., U.S.
Political party Republican (once Democrat)
Spouse Alice Mason Hooper
Profession Politician
Signature Charles Sumner's signature

Charles Sumner (January 6, 1811 – March 11, 1874) was an American politician and statesman from Massachusetts. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Events 1479 BC - Thutmose III ascends to the throne of Egypt, although power effectively shifts to Hatshepsut (according to 1851 ( MDCCCLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 1874 ( MDCCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Robert Rantoul Jr ( August 13, 1805 &ndash August 7, 1852) was an American politician from Massachusetts. William Barrett Washburn ( January 31, 1820 &ndash October 5, 1887) was an American Politician from Massachusetts Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Year 1811 ( MDCCCXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 1874 ( MDCCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. A politician (from Greek " Polis " is an individual who is involved in influencing public decision making through the influence of Politics or a person Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Year 1811 ( MDCCCXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 1874 ( MDCCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. An academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War and Reconstruction along with Thaddeus Stevens, who filled that role in the United States House of Representatives. The Radical Republicans is a term applied to a loose faction of American politicians within the Republican party from about 1854 (before the American Civil War Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Thaddeus Stevens ( April 4, 1792 – August 11, 1868) of Pennsylvania, was a Republican leader and one of the most powerful The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate. He jumped from party to party, gaining fame as a Republican. The History of the United States Republican Party is an account of the second oldest currently existing Political party in the United States One of the most learned statesmen of the era, he specialized in foreign affairs, working closely with Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal He devoted his enormous energies to the destruction of what he considered the Slave Power, that is the scheme of slave owners to take control of the federal government and block the progress of liberty. The Slave Power (sometimes referred to as the " Slaveocracy " was a term used in the Northern United States (primarily in the period 1840-1875 to characterize His severe beating in 1856 by South Carolina Representative Preston Brooks's cane on the floor of the United States Senate (Sumner-Brooks affair) helped escalate the tensions that led to war. Preston Smith Brooks ( August 5, 1819 &ndash January 27, 1857) was a Democratic Congressman from South Carolina Charles Sumner (January 6 1811 &ndash March 11 1874 was an American politician and statesman from Massachusetts. After years of therapy Sumner returned to the Senate to help lead the Civil War. Sumner was a leading proponent of abolishing slavery to weaken the Confederacy. Although he kept on good terms with Abraham Lincoln, he was a leader of the hard-line Radical Republicans. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal The Radical Republicans is a term applied to a loose faction of American politicians within the Republican party from about 1854 (before the American Civil War

As a Radical Republican leader in the Senate during Reconstruction, 1865-1871, Sumner fought hard to provide equal civil and voting rights for the freedmen, and to block ex-Confederates from power. Sumner, teaming with House leader Thaddeus Stevens defeated Andrew Johnson, and imposed their hard-line views on the South. Thaddeus Stevens ( April 4, 1792 – August 11, 1868) of Pennsylvania, was a Republican leader and one of the most powerful Andrew Johnson (December 29 1808 – July 31 1875 was the seventeenth President of the United States (1865-69 succeeding to the Presidency upon the assassination In 1871, however, he broke with President Ulysses Grant; Grant's Senate supporters then took away Sumner's power base, his committee chairmanship. Ulysses S Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27 1822 &ndash July 23 1885 was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States Sumner supported the Liberal Republicans candidate Horace Greeley in 1872 and lost his power inside the Republican party. "Liberal Republican" redirects here For liberal factions of the modern United States Republican Party, see Rockefeller Republican or Republican Horace Greeley ( February 3, 1811 &ndash November 29, 1872) was an American editor of a leading newspaper, a founder

Contents

Early life, education and law career

Charles Sumner's birthplace marked on Irving Street
Charles Sumner's birthplace marked on Irving Street

Sumner was born in Boston on Irving Street on January 6, 1811. Events 1066 - Harold Godwinson is crowned King of England. 1205 - Philip of Swabia becomes King Year 1811 ( MDCCCXI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year He attended the Boston Latin School. The Boston Latin School is a public exam school founded on April 23 1635, in Boston, Massachusetts, making it the He graduated in 1830 from Harvard College (where he lived in Hollis Hall), and in 1834 from Harvard Law School where he studied jurisprudence and became a protege of Joseph Story. Harvard College is the undergraduate section and oldest school of Harvard University, a Private university in the United States founded in 1636 by the Massachusetts This is a list of dormitories at Harvard College. Only First-Years live in the dormitories Harvard Law School (also known as Harvard Law or HLS) is one of the professional Graduate schools of Harvard University. Jurisprudence is the Theory and Philosophy of Law. Scholars of jurisprudence or legal philosophers hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature Joseph Story ( September 18, 1779 &ndash September 10, 1845) was an American Lawyer and Jurist who served on At Harvard, he was a member of the Porcellian Club. The Porcellian Club is a male-only Final club at Harvard University, sometimes called the Porc or the P

In 1834, Sumner was admitted to the bar, entering private practice in Boston, where he partnered with George Stillman Hillard. George Stillman Hillard ( September 22, 1808 - January 21, 1879) American Lawyer and Author. A visit to Washington filled him with loathing for politics as a career, and he returned to Boston resolved to devote himself to the practice of law. He contributed to the quarterly American Jurist and edited Story's court decisions as well as some law texts. From 1836 to 1837, Sumner lectured at Harvard Law School.

Travels in Europe

Charles Sumner in his younger years
Charles Sumner in his younger years

From 1837 to 1840, Sumner traveled extensively in Europe. There he became fluent in French, Spanish, German and Italian, with a command of languages equaled by no American then in public life. He met with many of the leading statesmen in Europe, and secured a deep insight into civil law and government. Civil law or Romano-Germanic law or Continental law is the predominant system of law in the world.

Sumner visited England in 1838 where his knowledge of literature, history, and law made him popular with leaders of thought. Henry Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux declared that he "had never met with any man of Sumner's age of such extensive legal knowledge and natural legal intellect. Henry Peter Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux (1778 - 1868 was a British Statesman who became Lord Chancellor of the United Kingdom " Not until many years after Sumner's death was any other American received so intimately into British intellectual circles.

Beginning of political career

In 1840, at the age of 29, Sumner returned to Boston to practice law but devoted more time to lecturing at Harvard Law School, to editing court reports, and to contributing to law journals, especially on historical and biographical themes. Harvard Law School (also known as Harvard Law or HLS) is one of the professional Graduate schools of Harvard University.

A turning point in Sumner's life came when he delivered an Independence Day oration on "The True Grandeur of Nations," in Boston in 1845. He spoke against war, and made an impassioned appeal for freedom and peace.

He became a sought-after orator for formal occasions. His lofty themes and stately eloquence made a profound impression; his platform presence was imposing (he stood six feet and four inches tall, with a massive frame). His voice was clear and of great power; his gestures unconventional and individual, but vigorous and impressive. His literary style was florid, with much detail, allusion, and quotation, often from the Bible as well as ancient Greece and Rome. An allusion is a figure of speech that makes a reference or representation of or to a well-known person place event literary work myth, or work of art Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote that he delivered speeches "like a cannoneer ramming down cartridges," while Sumner himself said that "you might as well look for a joke in the Book of Revelations. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27 1807 &ndash March 24 1882 was an American educator and Poet whose works include " Paul Revere's Ride " The Book of Revelation, also called Revelation to John, Apocalypse of John ( pronounced, from the Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου "

Sumner cooperated effectively with Horace Mann to improve the system of public education in Massachusetts. This article is about an early leader in education for the private school located in New York City see Horace Mann School. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. He advocated prison reform and opposed the Mexican-American War. Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside Prisons aiming at a more effective Penal system. He viewed the war as a war of aggression but was primarily concerned that captured territories would expand slavery westward. Slavery in the United States began soon after English colonists first settled Virginia in 1607 and lasted until the passage of the Thirteenth In 1847, the vigor with which Sumner denounced a Boston congressman's vote in favor of the declaration of war against Mexico made him a leader of the "conscience Whigs," but he declined to accept their nomination for the House of Representatives. The "Conscience" Whigs were a faction of the Whig Party in Massachusetts noted for their moral opposition to Slavery. The United States House of Representatives is one of the two chambers of the United States Congress; the other is the Senate.

Sumner took an active part in the organizing of the Free Soil Party, in opposition to the Whigs' nomination of a slave-holding southerner for the presidency. In 1848, he was defeated as a candidate for the U. S. House of Representatives. He became senator as a Democrat in 1850, but later became a Republican. The Democratic Party is one of two major Political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party.

In 1851, control of the Massachusetts General Court was secured by the Democrats in coalition with the Free Soilers. The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled The General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts The History of the United States Democratic Party is an account of the oldest Political party in the United States and arguably TalkDemocratic However, the legislature deadlocked on who should succeed Daniel Webster in the U.S. Senate. Daniel Webster (January 18 1782 &ndash October 24 1852 was a leading American Statesman during the nation's Antebellum Period. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives After filling the state positions with Democrats, the Democrats refused to vote for Sumner (the Free Soilers' choice) and urged the selection of a less radical candidate. An impasse of more than three months ensued, which finally resulted in the election of Sumner by a single vote on April 24.

Biographer David Donald has probed Sumner's psychology:[1]

Distrusted by friends and allies, and reciprocating their distrust, a man of "ostentatious culture," "unvarnished egotism," and "'a specimen of prolonged and morbid juvenility,'" Sumner combined a passionate conviction in his own moral purity with a command of nineteenth-century "rhetorical flourishes" and a "remarkable talent for rationalization. " Stumbling "into politics largely by accident," elevated to the United States Senate largely by chance, willing to indulge in "Jacksonian demagoguery" for the sake of political expediency, Sumner became a bitter and potent agitator of sectional conflict. Carving out a reputation as the South's most hated foe and the Negro's bravest friend, he inflamed sectional differences, advanced his personal fortunes, and helped bring about national tragedy.

Service in the Senate

Antebellum career and attack by Preston Brooks

John L. Magee of Philadelphia created Southern Chivalry—Argument Versus Clubs, a lithograph that shows Northern outrage over Preston Brooks's attack on Sumner.
John L. Preston Smith Brooks ( August 5, 1819 &ndash January 27, 1857) was a Democratic Congressman from South Carolina Magee of Philadelphia created Southern Chivalry—Argument Versus Clubs, a lithograph that shows Northern outrage over Preston Brooks's attack on Sumner. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə

Sumner took his seat in the United States Senate in late 1851, as a Democrat. The United States Senate is the Upper house of the bicameral United States Congress, the Lower house being the House of Representatives For the first few sessions, the abolitionist-democratic and reformist Sumner did not push for any of his controversial causes, but observed the workings of the Senate. On August 26, 1852, Sumner, in spite of strenuous efforts to prevent it, delivered his first major speech. Events 1071 - Battle of Manzikert: The Seljuk Turks defeat the Byzantine Army at Manzikert. Year 1852 ( MDCCCLII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year Entitled "Freedom National; Slavery Sectional" (a popular abolitionist motto), Sumner attacked the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act and called for its repeal. Abolitionism was a political movement of the 18th and 19th century which sought to make Slavery illegal particularly in the United States and British West Indies The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of

The conventions of both the great parties had just affirmed the finality of every provision of the Compromise of 1850. The Compromise of 1850 was a series of bills aimed at resolving the territorial and slavery controversies arising from the Mexican-American War (1846&ndash1848 Reckless of political expediency, Sumner moved that the Fugitive Slave Act be forthwith repealed; and for more than three hours he denounced it as a violation of the Constitution, an affront to the public conscience, and an offense against the divine law. The Fugitive Slave Law or Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of The speech provoked a storm of anger in the South, but the North was heartened to find at last a leader whose courage matched his conscience.

In 1856, during the Bleeding Kansas crisis when "border ruffians" approached Lawrence, Kansas, Sumner denounced the Kansas-Nebraska Act in the "Crime against Kansas" speech on May 19 and May 20, two days before the sack of Lawrence. Bleeding Kansas, sometimes referred to in history as Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events involving Free-Staters In the decade leading up to the American Civil War, pro- slavery activists infiltrated Kansas Territory from the neighboring Slave state of Missouri Lawrence is the sixth largest city in the US State of Kansas and the County seat of Douglas County. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opened new lands repealed the Missouri Compromise of In the summer of 1856 the Sacking of Lawrence helped ratchet up the guerrilla war in Kansas Territory that became known as " Bleeding Kansas. Sumner attacked the authors of the act, Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois and Andrew Butler of South Carolina, comparing Douglas to Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Stephen Arnold Douglas ( April 23, 1813 - June 3, 1861) was an American politician from the western state of Illinois, and Andrew Pickens Butler ( November 18, 1796 &ndash May 25, 1857) was an American statesman and one of the authors of the South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. es '''''Don Quixote''''' (, see spelling and pronunciation below fully titled es '''''El ingenioso hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha''''' ("The Ingenious Hidalgo Don He ridiculed Butler for a speech defect caused by his heart condition.

Sumner said Douglas (who was present in the chamber) was a "noisome, squat, and nameless animal. . . not a proper model for an American senator. " Most serious was his extreme insult of Butler as having taken "a mistress who, though ugly to others, is always lovely to him; though polluted in the sight of the world, is chaste in his sight—I mean, the harlot, Slavery. " Not content to leave his assault on a political level, Sumner's three hour oration took a very personal and cruel turn as he began to mock the 59 year-old Butler's manner of speech and physical mannerisms, both of which were impaired by a stroke that Butler had suffered earlier.

Two days later, on the afternoon of May 22, Preston Brooks, a congressman from South Carolina and Butler's nephew, confronted Sumner as he sat writing at his desk in the almost empty Senate chamber. Preston Smith Brooks ( August 5, 1819 &ndash January 27, 1857) was a Democratic Congressman from South Carolina South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America. Brooks was accompanied by Laurence M. Keitt also of South Carolina and Henry A. Edmundson of Virginia. Laurence Massillon Keitt ( October 4, 1824 &ndash June 4, 1864) was a South Carolina politician who served as a United States Henry Alonzo Edmundson ( June 14, 1814 &ndash December 16, 1890) was a nineteenth century congressman and lawyer from Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state Brooks said "Mr. Sumner, I have read your speech twice over carefully. It is a libel on South Carolina, and Mr. Butler, who is a relative of mine. " As Sumner, who was six feet and four inches tall, began to stand up, Brooks began beating Sumner severely on the head with a thick gutta-percha cane with a gold head. Gutta-percha ( Palaquium) is a genus of tropical Trees native to Southeast Asia and northern Australasia, from Taiwan south to Sumner was trapped under the heavy desk (which was bolted to the floor), but Brooks continued to bash Sumner until he ripped the desk from the floor. By this time, Sumner was blinded by his own blood, and he staggered up the aisle and collapsed, lapsing into unconsciousness. Brooks continued to beat Sumner until he broke his cane, then quietly left the chamber. Several other senators attempted to help Sumner, but were blocked by Keitt who was holding a pistol and shouting "Let them be!"

Sumner did not attend the Senate for the next three years, while recovering from the attack. In addition to the head trauma, he suffered from nightmares, severe headaches and (what is now understood to be) post-traumatic stress disorder. Traumatic brain injury. THIS PAGE IS FOR INFORMATION ON HEAD INJURY (NOT SPECIFICALLY THE BRAIN--> Head injury is Post traumatic stress disorder It is a severe and ongoing emotional reaction to During that period, his enemies subjected him to ridicule and accused him of cowardice for not resuming his duties in the Senate. Nevertheless, the Massachusetts General Court reelected him in November 1856, believing that his vacant chair in the Senate chamber served as a powerful symbol of free speech and resistance to slavery. The Massachusetts General Court (formally styled The General Court of Massachusetts) is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without Censorship or Limitation. [2]

The attack revealed the increasing polarization of the Union in the years before the American Civil War, as Sumner became a hero across the North and Brooks a hero across the South. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Northerners were outraged, with the editor of the New York Evening Post, William Cullen Bryant, writing:

The South cannot tolerate free speech anywhere, and would stifle it in Washington with the bludgeon and the bowie-knife, as they are now trying to stifle it in Kansas by massacre, rapine, and murder. The New York Post is the 13th-oldest Newspaper published in the United States and generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continually William Cullen Bryant (November 3 1794 - June 12 1878 was an American romantic poet, journalist and long-time editor of the New York Evening Post. Bowie knife specifically refers to a style of knife popularized by Colonel James "Jim" Bowie and first made by James Black, although its common use refers
Has it come to this, that we must speak with bated breath in the presence of our Southern masters?. . . Are we to be chastised as they chastise their slaves? Are we too, slaves, slaves for life, a target for their brutal blows, when we do not comport ourselves to please them?"

The outrage heard across the North was loud and strong, and historian William Gienapp later argued that the success of the new Republican party was uncertain in early 1856; but Brooks’s "assault was of critical importance in transforming the struggling Republican party into a major political force. "

Some Southerners even sent Brookes canes, in rejoicement of his attack.

Conversely, the act was praised by Southern newspapers; the Richmond Enquirer editorialized that Sumner should be caned "every morning," praising the attack as "good in conception, better in execution, and best of all in consequences" and denounced "these vulgar abolitionists in the Senate" who "have been suffered to run too long without collars. They must be lashed into submission. "

American Civil War

After three years Sumner returned to the Senate in 1859. Year 1859 ( MDCCCLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common He delivered a speech entitled "The Barbarism of Slavery" in the months leading up to the 1860 presidential election. The United States presidential election of 1860 set the stage for the American Civil War. In the critical months following the election of Abraham Lincoln, Sumner was an unyielding foe to every scheme of compromise with the Confederacy. Abraham Lincoln (February 12 1809 &ndash April 15 1865 the sixteenth President of the United States, successfully led his country through its greatest internal The Confederate States of America (also called the Confederacy, the Confederate States, and CSA) formed as the government set up from 1861

After the withdrawal of the Southern senators, Sumner was made chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in March 1861, a powerful position for which he was well-qualified owing to his years and background of European political knowledge, relationships, and experiences. US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the United States Senate.

As chair of the committee, Sumner renewed his efforts to gain diplomatic recognition of Haiti by the United States, which Haiti had sought since winning its independence in 1804. Diplomatic recognition in international law is a unilateral political act with domestic and international legal consequences whereby a state acknowledges an act Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: With Southern senators no longer standing in the way, Sumner was successful in 1862.

The signing of the Alaska Treaty of Cessation on March 30, 1867. L-R: Robert S. Chew, William H. Seward, William Hunter, Mr. Bodisco, Eduard de Stoeckl, Charles Sumner and Frederick W. Seward.
The signing of the Alaska Treaty of Cessation on March 30, 1867. The Alaska Purchase (otherwise known as Seward's Folly or Seward's Icebox) by the United States from the Russian Empire occurred in 1867 at the behest Events 240 BC - 1st recorded Perihelion passage of Halley's Comet. Year 1867 ( MDCCCLXVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year starting L-R: Robert S. Chew, William H. Seward, William Hunter, Mr. This article is about the New York Governor and Secretary of State William Hunter Jr (1805&ndash1886 was a politician and diplomat from Rhode Island. Bodisco, Eduard de Stoeckl, Charles Sumner and Frederick W. Seward. Eduard Andreevich Stoeckl (Эдуард Андреевич Стекль ( Istanbul 1804 &ndash Paris 1892 was a Russian diplomat best known today Frederick William Seward ( July 8, 1830 &ndash April 25, 1915) was the Assistant Secretary of State during the American

While the Civil War was in progress, Sumner's letters from Richard Cobden and John Bright, from William Ewart Gladstone and George Douglas Campbell, 8th Duke of Argyll, were read by Sumner at Lincoln's request to Cabinet, and formed a chief source of knowledge on the delicate political balance pro- and anti-Union in Britain. Richard Cobden ( June 3, 1804 &ndash April 2, 1865) was a British manufacturer and Radical and Liberal John Bright ( 16 November 1811 &ndash 27 March 1889) Quaker, was a British Radical and Liberal George John Douglas Campbell 8th and 1st Duke of Argyll ( 30 April, 1823 – 24 April, 1900) was a prominent United Kingdom Liberal

In the war scare over the Trent affair (where the U.S. Navy illegally seized high-ranking Confederates from a British Navy ship), it was Sumner's word that convinced Lincoln that James M. Mason and John Slidell must be given up. Britain in the American Civil War The Trent Affair, also known as the Mason and Slidell Affair, was an international diplomatic incident that occurred during the James Murray Mason ( November 3, 1798 &ndash April 28, 1871) was a United States Representative and United States Senator John Slidell (1793 &ndash July 26, 1871) was an American politician lawyer and businessman Again and again Sumner used his chairmanship to block action which threatened to embroil the U. S. in war with England and France. Sumner openly and boldly advocated the policy of emancipation. Abolitionism was a political movement of the 18th and 19th century which sought to make Slavery illegal particularly in the United States and British West Indies Lincoln described Sumner as "my idea of a bishop," and consulted him as an embodiment of the conscience of the American people.

Sumner was a longtime enemy of United States Chief Justice Roger Taney, and attacked his decision in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case. The Chief Justice of the United States is the head of the judicial branch of the government of the United States, and presides over the U Roger Brooke Taney ( "tawny" March 17, 1777 – October 12, 1864) was the twelfth United States Attorney General Dred Scott v Sandford —whether or not they were slaves—could never be Citizens of the United States, and that the United States Congress In 1865, Sumner said:

I speak what cannot be denied when I declare that the opinion of the Chief Justice in the case of Dred Scott was more thoroughly abominable than anything of the kind in the history of courts. Year 1865 ( MDCCCLXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year Judicial baseness reached its lowest point on that occasion. You have not forgotten that terrible decision where a most unrighteous judgment was sustained by a falsification of history. Of course, the Constitution of the United States and every principle of Liberty was falsified, but historical truth was falsified also. . . "

As soon as the Civil War began, Sumner put forward his theory of Reconstruction, that the South had by its own act become felo de se, committing state suicide via secession, and that they be treated as conquered territories that had never been states. Felo de se, Latin for "felon of himself" is an archaic legal term meaning Suicide. Secession (derived from the Latin term secessio is the act of withdrawing from an organization union or especially a political entity He resented the much more generous Reconstruction policy taken by Lincoln, and later by Andrew Johnson, as an encroachment upon the powers of Congress. Andrew Johnson (December 29 1808 – July 31 1875 was the seventeenth President of the United States (1865-69 succeeding to the Presidency upon the assassination Throughout the war, Sumner had constituted himself the special champion of blacks, being the most vigorous advocate of emancipation, of enlisting the blacks in the Union army, and of the establishment of the Freedmen's Bureau. The Bureau of Refugees Freedmen and Abandoned Lands (usually referred to as the Freedmen's Bureau) was a U

Civil rights

Sumner was unusually far-sighted in his advocacy of voting and civil rights for blacks. His father hated slavery and told Sumner that freeing the slaves would "do us no good" unless they were treated equally by society. [3] Sumner was a close associate of William Ellery Channing, a minister in Boston who influenced many New England intellectuals, including Ralph Waldo Emerson. This article is about Dr William Ellery Channing the Unitarian theologian Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25 1803 &ndash April 27 1882 was an American essayist philosopher poet and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early 19th century Channing believed that human beings had an infinite potential to improve themselves. Expanding on this argument, Sumner concluded that environment had "an important, if not controlling influence" in shaping individuals. [4] By creating a society where "knowledge, virtue and religion" took precedence, "the most forlorn shall grow into forms of unimagined strength and beauty. "[5] Moral law, then, was as important for governments as it was for individuals, and laws which inhibited a man's ability to grow — like slavery or segregation — were evil. While Sumner often had dark views of contemporary society, his faith in reform was unshakeable; when accused of utopianism, he replied "The Utopias of one age have been the realities of the next. "[6]

Senator Sumner and his good friend Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Senator Sumner and his good friend Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The annexation of Texas — a new slave-holding state — in 1845 pushed Sumner into taking an active role in the anti-slavery movement. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27 1807 &ndash March 24 1882 was an American educator and Poet whose works include " Paul Revere's Ride " He helped organize an alliance between Democrats and the newly created Free-Soil Party in Massachusetts in 1849. That same year, Sumner represented the plaintiffs in Roberts v. Boston, a case which challenged the legality of segregation. Roberts v Boston was an 1849 lawsuit seeking to end racial discrimination in Boston public schools Arguing before the Massachusetts Supreme Court, Sumner noted that schools for blacks were physically inferior and that segregation bred harmful psychological and sociological effects — arguments that would be made in Brown v. Board of Education over a century later. Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, 347 US 483 (1954 was a Landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court, which overturned earlier [7] Sumner lost the case, but the Massachusetts legislature eventually abolished school segregation in 1855.

A friend of Samuel Gridley Howe, Sumner was also a guiding force for the American Freedmen's Inquiry Commission. Samuel Gridley Howe (November 10 1801 - January 9 1876 was a prominent 19th century United States Physician, Abolitionist, and an advocate of education for The American Freedmen's Inquiry Commission was charged by US Secretary of War Edwin McMasters Stanton in March of 1863 with investigating the status The senator was one of the most prominent advocates for suffrage, along with free homesteads and free public schools for blacks. Sumner's outspoken opposition to slavery made him few friends in the Senate; after delivering his first major speech there in 1852, a senator from Alabama rose and urged that there be no reply to Sumner, saying "The ravings of a maniac may sometimes be dangerous, but the barking of a puppy never did any harm. "[8] His uncompromising attitude did not endear him to moderates and sometimes inhibited his effectiveness as a legislator; he was largely excluded from work on the Thirteenth Amendment, in part because he did not get along with Illinois Senator Lyman Trumbull, who chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee and did much of the work on the law. The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution officially abolished and continues to prohibit Slavery, and with limited exceptions such as those Lyman Trumbull ( October 12, 1813 &ndash June 25, 1896) was a United States Senator from Illinois during the Sumner did introduce an alternate amendment that would have abolished slavery and declare that "all people are equal before the law" — a combination of the Thirteenth Amendment with elements of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Fourteenth Amendment ( Amendment XIV) to the United States Constitution is one of the post- Civil War Reconstruction Amendments, first During Reconstruction, he often attacked civil rights legislation as too weak and fought hard for legislation to give land to freed slaves; unlike many of his contemporaries, he viewed segregation and slavery as two sides of the same coin. [9] He introduced a civil rights bill in 1872 that would have mandated equal accommodation in all public places and required suits brought under the bill to be argued in federal courts. [10] The bill ultimately failed, but Sumner still spoke of it on his deathbed. [11]

In April 1870, Sumner announced that he would work to remove the word "white" from naturalization laws. He had in 1868 and 1869 introduced bills to that effect, but neither came to a vote. On July 2, 1870, Sumner moved to amend a pending bill in a way that would strike the word "white" wherever in all congressional acts pertaining to naturalization. On July 4, 1870, he said: "Senators undertake to disturb us .  .   by reminding us of the possibility of large numbers swarming from China; but the answer to all this is very obvious and very simple. If the Chinese come here, they will come for citizenship or merely for labor. If they come for citizenship, then in this desire do they give a pledge of loyalty to our institutions; and where is the peril in such vows? They are peaceful and industrious; how can their citizenship be the occasion of solicitude?" He accused legislators promoting anti-Chinese legislation of betraying the principles of the Declaration of Independence: "Worse than any heathen or pagan abroad are those in our midst who are false to our institutions. This article is about declarations of independence in general " But Sumner's bill failed, and from 1870 to 1943 (or in some cases, to 1952) Chinese and other Asians were ineligible for U. S. citizenship. [12]

Personal life and marriage

Sumner was serious and somewhat prickly, but he developed friendships with several prominent Bostonians, particularly Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose house he visited regularly in the 1840s. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27 1807 &ndash March 24 1882 was an American educator and Poet whose works include " Paul Revere's Ride " Longfellow's daughters found his stateliness amusing; Sumner would ceremoniously open doors for the children while saying "In presequas" in a sonorous tone. [13]

A bachelor for most of his life, Sumner began courting Alice Mason Hooper, the daughter of Massachusetts congressman Samuel Hooper, in 1866 and the two were married that October. A Member of Congress is a Politician who is a member of a Congress. Samuel Hooper ( February 3, 1808 &ndash February 14, 1875) was a businessman and US congressman from Massachusetts, USA It proved to be a poor match: Sumner could not respond to his wife's humor, and Hooper had a ferocious temper she could not always control. That winter, Hooper began going out to public events with Friedrich von Holstein, a German nobleman. While the two were not having an affair, the relationship caused gossip in Washington, and Hooper refused to stop seeing him. When Holstein was recalled to Prussia in the spring of 1867, Hooper accused Sumner of engineering the action (Sumner always denied this) and the two separated the following September. [14] News of the situation quickly leaked out, to the delight of Sumner's enemies, who referred to him as "The Great Impotency" and claimed (without proof) that Sumner could not perform his marital duties. The situation depressed and embarrassed Sumner; the two were finally divorced on May 10, 1873. [15]

Reconstruction years and death

Charles Sumner in his elder years
Charles Sumner in his elder years

Sumner was strongly opposed to the Reconstruction policy of Johnson, believing it to be far too generous to the South. Johnson was impeached by the House, but the Senate failed to convict him (and thus remove him from office) by a single vote.

Ulysses Grant became a bitter opponent of Sumner in 1870 when the president mistakenly thought that he had secured his support for the annexation of the Dominican Republic. Ulysses S Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27 1822 &ndash July 23 1885 was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States The Dominican Republic ( Spanish: República Dominicana;) is a nation located in the Caribbean region and shares the island of Hispaniola with

Sumner had always prized highly his popularity in Great Britain, but he unhesitatingly sacrificed it in taking his stand as to the adjustment of claims against Britain for breaches of neutrality during the war. Sumner laid great stress upon "national claims. " He held that Britain's according the rights of belligerents to the Confederacy had doubled the duration of the war, entailing inestimable loss. He therefore insisted that Britain should be required not merely to pay damages for the havoc wreaked by the Confederate Ship Alabama and other cruisers fitted out for Confederate service in her ports, but that, for "that other damage, immense and infinite, caused by the prolongation of the war," Sumner wanted Britain to turn over Canada as payment. History Construction Alabama was built in secrecy by British shipbuilders John Laird Sons and Company in Liverpool, Merseyside (At the Geneva arbitration conference these "national claims" were abandoned. )

Under pressure from the president, he was deposed in March 1871 from the chairmanship of the Committee on Foreign Relations, in which he had served with great effectiveness since 1861. US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the United States Senate. The chief cause of this humiliation was Grant's vindictiveness at Sumner's blocking Grant's plan to annex Santo Domingo. Santo Domingo de Guzmán (known as Santo Domingo population 2084852 (Metro (2003 estimated 2253437 (Metro in 2006 is the Capital and largest city in the Sumner broke with the Republican party and campaigned for the Liberal Republican Horace Greeley in 1872. Horace Greeley ( February 3, 1811 &ndash November 29, 1872) was an American editor of a leading newspaper, a founder

Death of Charles Sumner
Death of Charles Sumner
Sumner's headstone at Mount Auburn Cemetery
Sumner's headstone at Mount Auburn Cemetery
Charles Sumner House in Boston
Charles Sumner House in Boston

In 1872, he introduced in the Senate a resolution providing that the names of Civil War battles should not be placed on the regimental colors of army regiments. Founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery" or the first " Rural cemetery " Mount Auburn Cemetery is an Elysium where traditionally Charles Sumner House is an National Historic Landmark at 20 Hancock Street on Beacon Hill in Boston Massachusetts that was home to Abolitionist The Massachusetts legislature denounced this battle-flag resolution as "an insult to the loyal soldiery of the nation" and as "meeting the unqualified condemnation of the people of the Commonwealth. " For more than a year all efforts– headed by the poet John Greenleaf Whittier– to rescind that censure were without avail, but early in 1874 it was annulled. John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17 1807 &ndash September 7 1892 was an influential American Quaker Poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of Slavery His last words uttered around his closest colleagues and friends was noted to be "save my civil rights bill".

Charles Sumner died in Washington, D. C. , March 11, 1874. Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 1874 ( MDCCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common He lay in state in the U.S. Capitol rotunda, and was buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Lying in state is a term used to describe the tradition in which a Coffin is placed on view to allow the public at large to pay their respects to the deceased The rotunda is the central rotunda of the United States Capitol, below the Capitol dome. Founded in 1831 as "America's first garden cemetery" or the first " Rural cemetery " Mount Auburn Cemetery is an Elysium where traditionally Cambridge Massachusetts is a City in the Greater Boston area of Massachusetts, United States.

Sumner was the scholar in politics. He could never be induced to suit his action to the political expediency of the moment. "The slave of principles, I call no party master," was the proud avowal with which he began his service in the Senate. For the tasks of Reconstruction he showed little aptitude. He was less a builder than a prophet. His was the first clear program proposed in Congress for the reform of the civil service. See also Bureaucrat The term civil service has two distinct meanings Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis It was his dauntless courage in denouncing compromise, in demanding the repeal of the Fugitive Slave Act, and in insisting upon emancipation, that made him the chief initiating force in the struggle that put an end to slavery.

Namesakes

The following are named after Charles Sumner:

Statue by Anne Whitney in Harvard Square. Anne Whitney (1821 - 1915 was an American sculptor and poet She was born in Watertown Massachusetts on September 2, 1821 and died in Boston Harvard Square is a large triangular area in the center of Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street and John

Statue in the Boston Public Garden. The Public Garden, also known as Boston Public Garden, is a large park located in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to the Boston Common

References

Sources

  1. ^ Goodman's paraphrase of Donald in Goodman (1964) p 374
  2. ^ Sumner's chair was later purchased by Bates College, an abolitionist leaning school with which Sumner was involved. Bates College is a private liberal arts college located in Lewiston Maine, in the United States. [1]
  3. ^ Donald, (1970), p. 130.
  4. ^ Donald, p. 104.
  5. ^ Donald, 1:105
  6. ^ Donald, p. 106
  7. ^ Donald, 1:180-1
  8. ^ Donald, 1:236
  9. ^ Donald, 2: 532
  10. ^ Donald, Rights of Man, 532
  11. ^ Donald, 587
  12. ^ Roger Daniels, Guarding the Golden Door: American Immigration Policy and Immigrants since 1882 (NY: Hill and Wang, 2004), 13-16
  13. ^ Donald, 1:174
  14. ^ Donald, 2:293
  15. ^ Donald, 2:571

External links

Preceded by
Robert Rantoul, Jr.		 United States Senator (Class 1) from Massachusetts
March 4, 1851 – March 11, 1874
Served alongside: John Davis, Edward Everett, Julius Rockwell, Henry Wilson and George S. Boutwell		 Succeeded by
William B. Washburn
Preceded by
Thaddeus Stevens		 Persons who have lain in state or honor
in the United States Capitol rotunda
March 13, 1874		 Succeeded by
Henry Wilson
The Biographical Directory of the United States Congress is a Biographical dictionary of all present and former members of the United States Congress as Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to Digitize, archive and distribute Cultural works Robert Rantoul Jr ( August 13, 1805 &ndash August 7, 1852) was an American politician from Massachusetts. This is a chronological listing of the United States Senators from Massachusetts. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth 1851 ( MDCCCLI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common year Events 1425 BC - Thutmose III, Pharaoh of Egypt, dies (according to the Low Chronology of the 18th Dynasty Year 1874 ( MDCCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common John Davis ( January 13, 1787 – April 19, 1854) was an American Lawyer, Businessman and Politician Edward Everett ( April 11, 1794 January 15, 1865) was a Whig Party politician from Massachusetts. Julius Rockwell ( April 26, 1805 – May 19, 1888) was a United States politician from Massachusetts, and the father Henry Wilson (February 16 1812 &ndash November 22 1875 was a Senator from Massachusetts and the eighteenth Vice President of the United States. George Sewall Boutwell ( January 28, 1818  – February 27, 1905) was an American statesman who served as Secretary of William Barrett Washburn ( January 31, 1820 &ndash October 5, 1887) was an American Politician from Massachusetts Thaddeus Stevens ( April 4, 1792 – August 11, 1868) of Pennsylvania, was a Republican leader and one of the most powerful Lying in state is a term used to describe the tradition in which a Coffin is placed on view to allow the public at large to pay their respects to the deceased The rotunda is the central rotunda of the United States Capitol, below the Capitol dome. Events 1138 - Cardinal Gregorio Conti is elected Antipope as Victor IV, succeeding Anacletus II. Year 1874 ( MDCCCLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Henry Wilson (February 16 1812 &ndash November 22 1875 was a Senator from Massachusetts and the eighteenth Vice President of the United States.
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